Oct.14: Spinning Class

Before I "officially" called myself a runner, I used to do everything else but. I had very strict rules - I would never do the same exercise two days in a row and I would always make sure that I did something everyday. This meant that I spent hours at the gym doing different classes or playing squash, riding my bike, playing ultimate frisbee, and actually enjoying a happy hour or two! So, when did this all change (i.e. when did I actually start calling myself a "runner")? It is hard to say exactly...it is sort of like the first couple weeks where you are dating someone. When was the day that you actually starting "going-out"(Unless, of course, you still roll grade-school style and ask someone to be your boy/girl friend inbetween drama and english class...or better yet, get your best friend to ask her best friend if she is interested in maybe going out)). What criteria do you use to say, "Yes, we started dating on this exact date." Everyone has different criteria (which can be problematic for the dating example I just gave if the guy and girl involved have two different criteria - how on earth will you ever figure out when to celebrate each month anniversary (oops, grade school example again))!!!

Anyhow, back to my point - I think I "became a runner" when I started to buy all of my running shoes 1 size bigger to avoid getting black toe nails on long runs. There was, obviously, a large grey zone in there somewhere but I think I was just rounding second base with running when I finally made this decision (again, I am carrying my grade school example throughout this post!).

One of my favorite classes I used to do approx. 3 days a week was spinning. Today I returned...tour de france style! I am always a little aprehensive when trying new things in Paris because the language is still a big barrier for me and I often find myself in those awkward situations where you are like, "what the hell?" However, usually after you do something several times you learn to anticipate what will be said next and you are able to develop sort of a practised routine. Take going to a restaurant for example. The first time I went it was quite awkward. But over time you learn that they will ask "interior ou exterior?" (inside or out), "combien..." (how many people), "est-que vous choissisez?" (What do you want to eat), etc...you learn the routine and you fill in what you do not understand with what you think they are most likely saying and you answer accordingly. Learning a new language is more about statistical probability of what you think will happen next in any social situation, reading all non-verbal clues to support or deny your analysis, and then acting in a way consistent with the most probable outcome....well, so far it is!

Today in the spinning class they had the music pumping (awesome music too - tribal Rhianna type beats...very cool) and a colored disco ball hanging from the ceiling glowing. It was only 45 minutes but I was completely knackered at the end. I spent most of my time just watching all the other participants for clues as to what to do. But that can be problematic because if you latch on to the over-achiever in the class you will be tired a little too quickly whereas if you follow the slacker you will wonder why you bothered even coming. What was also interesting was that a lot of people loved to do cat-calls along with the music...it was definitely an interactive group!

This week I am going to try to get back to the gym a little. The Wii Fit and I are having an argument...yesterday my Wii fit age was 41 so I am giving it the silent treatment this week.

A+